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Sunday, September 23, 2012

I have observed my CT implement various SDAIE strategies. One such strategy is the continuous use of graphic organizers, realia, and visual clues in the classroom. My CT gives his lessons via PowerPoint and students use their iPads to take notes and look up material on the Internet. The PowerPoint is filled with graphic organizers: diagrams, drawings, charts, and pictures. Students can either copy down the organizers to their notes by hand or use their iPads to download them off of the school's website. The students who do not speak English well are the main beneficiaries of these graphic organizers, though it should be noted that they are helpful to all students in the classroom. From what I can tell the strategy has been successful, many students seem to benefit from drawing the diagrams and synchronizing their knowledge using the graphic organizers.

Friday, September 7, 2012

I created a digital survey to give to my students using Google Forms. The link to the survey can be found here and the link to the results can be found here. My students were told to take the survey as part of their participation. Since we have iPads for each student in our classroom, I decided to opt for a digital survey instead of a handwritten one so that both the students and I would enjoy a level of convienence.

Here is the embedded survey:

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Reflection: The data gathered from this survey was quite interesting to me. I see that many students are exposed to Spanish or other languages at home and many are required to speak a language other than English in public settings. Also, many students have struggled in their English classes and almost all of the students who struggled felt uncomfortable in at least some of their classes just based on how they speak English. I plan to continue analyzing the data throughout the semester and keep an eye on the students who I feel need the most help.

Not only were there not enough books for students, but the current books are in terrible condition and most look like rags. This injustice promotes an idea to students that books can be abused and misused and that the school cannot even fund enough books for all students.